scholarly journals Mass Spectrometric Analysis of l-Cysteine Metabolism: Physiological Role and Fate of l-Cysteine in the Enteric Protozoan Parasite Entamoeba histolytica

mBio ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ghulam Jeelani ◽  
Dan Sato ◽  
Tomoyoshi Soga ◽  
Haruo Watanabe ◽  
Tomoyoshi Nozaki
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Carboxylic Acid ◽  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Carboxylic Acids ◽  
Entamoeba Histolytica ◽  
Protozoan Parasite ◽  
Protozoan Parasites ◽  
Metabolic Fate ◽  
Content Type

ABSTRACTl-Cysteine is essential for virtually all living organisms, from bacteria to higher eukaryotes. Besides having a role in the synthesis of virtually all proteins and of taurine, cysteamine, glutathione, and other redox-regulating proteins,l-cysteine has important functions under anaerobic/microaerophilic conditions. In anaerobic or microaerophilic protozoan parasites, such asEntamoeba histolytica,l-cysteine has been implicated in growth, attachment, survival, and protection from oxidative stress. However, a specific role of this amino acid or related metabolic intermediates is not well understood. In this study, using stable-isotope-labeledl-cysteine and capillary electrophoresis-time of flight mass spectrometry, we investigated the metabolism ofl-cysteine inE. histolytica. [U-13C3,15N]l-cysteine was rapidly metabolized into three unknown metabolites, besidesl-cystine andl-alanine. These metabolites were identified as thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid (T4C), 2-methyl thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid (MT4C), and 2-ethyl-thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid (ET4C), the condensation products ofl-cysteine with aldehydes. We demonstrated that these 2-(R)-thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acids serve for storage ofl-cysteine. Liberation ofl-cysteine occurred when T4C was incubated with amebic lysates, suggesting enzymatic degradation of thesel-cysteine derivatives. Furthermore, T4C and MT4C significantly enhanced trophozoite growth and reduced intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels when it was added to cultures, suggesting that 2-(R)-thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acids are involved in the defense against oxidative stress.IMPORTANCEAmebiasis is a human parasitic disease caused by the protozoan parasiteEntamoeba histolytica. In this parasite,l-cysteine is the principal low-molecular-weight thiol and is assumed to play a significant role in supplying the amino acid during trophozoite invasion, particularly when the parasites move from the anaerobic intestinal lumen to highly oxygenated tissues in the intestine and the liver. It is well known thatE. histolyticaneeds a comparatively high concentration ofl-cysteine for its axenic cultivation. However, the reason for and the metabolic fate ofl-cysteine in this parasite are not well understood. Here, using a metabolomic and stable-isotope-labeled approach, we investigated the metabolic fate of this amino acid in these parasites. We found thatl-cysteine inside the cell rapidly reacts with aldehydes to form 2-(R)-thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid. We showed that these 2-(R)-thiazolidine-4-carboxylic derivatives serve as anl-cysteine source, promote growth, and protect cells against oxidative stress by scavenging aldehydes and reducing the ROS level. Our findings represent the first demonstration of 2-(R)-thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acids and their roles in protozoan parasites.

BASIC ESTERS OF SUBSTITUTED PYRIMIDINE-4-CARBOXYLIC ACIDS

1956 ◽  
Vol 34 (10) ◽  
pp. 1444-1446 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gordon A. Grant ◽  
Carl Von Seemann ◽  
Stanley O. Winthrop
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Carboxylic Acid ◽  
Carboxylic Acids ◽  
Mucochloric Acid

A number of β-dialkylaminoethyl esters of 2,5-disubstituted pyrimidine-4-carboxylic acids have been synthesized and characterized as their hydrochlorides and in some cases as their methobromide and methiodide salts. Mucochloric acid has been condensed with S-methylisothiouronium sulphate to give 2-methylthio-5-chloropyrimidine-4-carboxylic acid, and the corresponding 5-bromo- acid has been converted to the 5-amino-acid.

scholarly journals Localization and Targeting of an Unusual Pyridine Nucleotide Transhydrogenase in Entamoeba histolytica

2010 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 926-933 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Abu Yousuf ◽  
Fumika Mi-ichi ◽  
Kumiko Nakada-Tsukui ◽  
Tomoyoshi Nozaki
Keyword(s):  
Entamoeba Histolytica ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Physiological Role ◽  
Protozoan Parasite ◽  
Pyridine Nucleotide ◽  
Immunofluorescence Assay ◽  
Chemical Degradation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Targeting Signal ◽  
Pyridine Nucleotide Transhydrogenase

ABSTRACT Pyridine nucleotide transhydrogenase (PNT) catalyzes the direct transfer of a hydride-ion equivalent between NAD(H) and NADP(H) in bacteria and the mitochondria of eukaryotes. PNT was previously postulated to be localized to the highly divergent mitochondrion-related organelle, the mitosome, in the anaerobic/microaerophilic protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica based on the potential mitochondrion-targeting signal. However, our previous proteomic study of isolated phagosomes suggested that PNT is localized to organelles other than mitosomes. An immunofluorescence assay using anti-E. histolytica PNT (EhPNT) antibody raised against the NADH-binding domain showed a distribution to the membrane of numerous vesicles/vacuoles, including lysosomes and phagosomes. The domain(s) required for the trafficking of PNT to vesicles/vacuoles was examined by using amoeba transformants expressing a series of carboxyl-terminally truncated PNTs fused with green fluorescent protein or a hemagglutinin tag. All truncated PNTs failed to reach vesicles/vacuoles and were retained in the endoplasmic reticulum. These data indicate that the putative targeting signal is not sufficient for the trafficking of PNT to the vesicular/vacuolar compartments and that full-length PNT is necessary for correct transport. PNT displayed a smear of >120 kDa on SDS-PAGE gels. PNGase F and tunicamycin treatment, chemical degradation of carbohydrates, and heat treatment of PNT suggested that the apparent aberrant mobility of PNT is likely attributable to its hydrophobic nature. PNT that is compartmentalized to the acidic compartments is unprecedented in eukaryotes and may possess a unique physiological role in E. histolytica.

scholarly journals Arginine Biosynthesis Modulates Pyoverdine Production and Release in Pseudomonas putida as Part of the Mechanism of Adaptation to Oxidative Stress

2019 ◽  
Vol 201 (22) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Barrientos-Moreno ◽  
María Antonia Molina-Henares ◽  
Marta Pastor-García ◽  
María Isabel Ramos-González ◽  
Manuel Espinosa-Urgel
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Reactive Oxygen Species ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Pseudomonas Putida ◽  
Reactive Oxygen ◽  
Full Detail ◽  
Oxygen Species ◽  
Arginine Biosynthesis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
And Oxidative Stress

ABSTRACT Iron is essential for most life forms. Under iron-limiting conditions, many bacteria produce and release siderophores—molecules with high affinity for iron—which are then transported into the cell in their iron-bound form, allowing incorporation of the metal into a wide range of cellular processes. However, free iron can also be a source of reactive oxygen species that cause DNA, protein, and lipid damage. Not surprisingly, iron capture is finely regulated and linked to oxidative-stress responses. Here, we provide evidence indicating that in the plant-beneficial bacterium Pseudomonas putida KT2440, the amino acid l-arginine is a metabolic connector between iron capture and oxidative stress. Mutants defective in arginine biosynthesis show reduced production and release of the siderophore pyoverdine and altered expression of certain pyoverdine-related genes, resulting in higher sensitivity to iron limitation. Although the amino acid is not part of the siderophore side chain, addition of exogenous l-arginine restores pyoverdine release in the mutants, and increased pyoverdine production is observed in the presence of polyamines (agmatine and spermidine), of which arginine is a precursor. Spermidine also has a protective role against hydrogen peroxide in P. putida, whereas defects in arginine and pyoverdine synthesis result in increased production of reactive oxygen species. IMPORTANCE The results of this study show a previously unidentified connection between arginine metabolism, siderophore turnover, and oxidative stress in Pseudomonas putida. Although the precise molecular mechanisms involved have yet to be characterized in full detail, our data are consistent with a model in which arginine biosynthesis and the derived pathway leading to polyamine production function as a homeostasis mechanism that helps maintain the balance between iron uptake and oxidative-stress response systems.

scholarly journals Knockdown of Five Genes Encoding Uncharacterized Proteins Inhibits Entamoeba histolytica Phagocytosis of Dead Host Cells

2016 ◽  
Vol 84 (4) ◽  
pp. 1045-1053 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Sateriale ◽  
Peter Miller ◽  
Christopher D. Huston
Keyword(s):  
Host Cell ◽  
Entamoeba Histolytica ◽  
Protozoan Parasite ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Feed Forward ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Genes Encoding ◽  
Relative Specificity ◽  
Cell Engulfment

Entamoeba histolyticais the protozoan parasite that causes invasive amebiasis, which is endemic to many developing countries and characterized by dysentery and liver abscesses. The virulence ofE. histolyticacorrelates with the degree of host cell engulfment, or phagocytosis, andE. histolyticaphagocytosis alters amebic gene expression in a feed-forward manner that results in an increased phagocytic ability. Here, we used a streamlined RNA interference screen to silence the expression of 15 genes whose expression was upregulated in phagocyticE. histolyticatrophozoites to determine whether these genes actually function in the phagocytic process. When five of these genes were silenced, amebic strains with significant decreases in the ability to phagocytose apoptotic host cells were produced. Phagocytosis of live host cells, however, was largely unchanged, and the defects were surprisingly specific for phagocytosis. Two of the five encoded proteins, which we namedE. histolyticaILWEQ (EhILWEQ) andE. histolyticaBAR (EhBAR), were chosen for localization via SNAP tag labeling and localized to the site of partially formed phagosomes. Therefore, both EhILWEQ and EhBAR appear to contribute toE. histolyticavirulence through their function in phagocytosis, and the large proportion (5/15 [33%]) of gene-silenced strains with a reduced ability to phagocytose host cells validates the previously published microarray data set demonstrating feed-forward control ofE. histolyticaphagocytosis. Finally, although only limited conclusions can be drawn from studies using the virulence-deficient G3Entamoebastrain, the relative specificity of the defects induced for phagocytosis of apoptotic cells but not healthy cells suggests that cell killing may play a rate-limiting role in the process ofEntamoeba histolyticahost cell engulfment.

scholarly journals Novel Biphenyl-Oxidizing Bacteria and Dioxygenase Genes from a Korean Tidal Mudflat

2011 ◽  
Vol 77 (11) ◽  
pp. 3888-3891 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tae Kwon Lee ◽  
Jaejin Lee ◽  
Woo Jun Sul ◽  
Shoko Iwai ◽  
Benli Chai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Stable Isotope ◽  
16S Rrna ◽  
Amino Acid Identity ◽  
Stable Isotope Probing ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Acid Identity ◽  
Rrna Sequences ◽  
Mudflat Sediments ◽  
16S Rrna Sequences

ABSTRACTGene-targeted FLX titanium pyrosequencing integrated with stable isotope probing (SIP) using [13C]biphenyl substrate revealed that tidal mudflat sediments harbor novel aromatic ring hydroxylating dioxygenases (ARHD). More than 80% of the detected ARHD genes comprise four clades (0.5 distance) with 49 to 70% amino acid identity to sequences in public databases. The 16S rRNA sequences enriched in the13C fraction were from theBetaproteobacteria, bacilli (primarilyPaenibacillus-like), and unclassified phyla.

scholarly journals Mechanisms of Action of Escapin, a Bactericidal Agent in the Ink Secretion of the Sea Hare Aplysia californica: Rapid and Long-Lasting DNA Condensation and Involvement of the OxyR-Regulated Oxidative Stress Pathway

2012 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 1725-1734 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ko-Chun Ko ◽  
Phang C. Tai ◽  
Charles D. Derby
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Carboxylic Acid ◽  
Dna Binding ◽  
Binding Protein ◽  
Aplysia Californica ◽  
Dna Binding Protein ◽  
Bactericidal Effect ◽  
Dna Condensation ◽  
Maximal Effect ◽  
Content Type

ABSTRACTThe marine snailAplysia californicaproduces escapin, anl-amino acid oxidase, in its defensive ink. Escapin usesl-lysine to produce diverse products called escapin intermediate products ofl-lysine (EIP-K), including α-amino-ε-caproic acid, Δ1-piperidine-2-carboxylic acid, and Δ2-piperidine-2-carboxylic acid. EIP-K and H2O2together, but neither alone, is a powerful bactericide. Here, we report bactericidal mechanisms of escapin products onEscherichia coli. We show that EIP-K and H2O2together cause rapid and long-lasting DNA condensation: 2-min treatment causes significant DNA condensation and killing, and 10-min treatment causes maximal effect, lasting at least 70 h. We isolated two mutants resistant to EIP-K plus H2O2, both having a single missense mutation in the oxidation regulatory gene,oxyR. A complementation assay showed that the mutated gene,oxyR(A233V), renders resistance to EIP-K plus H2O2, and a gene dosage effect leads to reduction of resistance for strains carrying wild-typeoxyR. Temperature stress with EIP-K does not produce the bactericidal effect, suggesting the effect is due to a specific response to oxidative stress. The null mutant for any single DNA-binding protein—Dps, H-NS, Hup, Him, or MukB—was not resistant to EIP-K plus H2O2, suggesting that no single DNA-binding protein is necessary to mediate this bactericidal effect, but allowing for the possibility that EIP-K plus H2O2could function through a combination of DNA-binding proteins. The bactericidal effect of EIP-K plus H2O2was eliminated by the ferrous ion chelator 1,10-phenanthroline, and it was reduced by the hydroxyl radical scavenger thiourea, suggesting hydroxyl radicals mediate the effects of EIP-K plus H2O2.

Unusual stable isotope ratios in amino acid and carboxylic acid extracts from the Murchison meteorite

Nature ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 326 (6112) ◽  
pp. 477-479 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Epstein ◽  
R. V. Krishnamurthy ◽  
J. R. Cronin ◽  
S. Pizzarello ◽  
G. U. Yuen
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Carboxylic Acid ◽  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Isotope Ratios ◽  
Stable Isotope Ratios ◽  
Murchison Meteorite

scholarly journals Saccharomyces cerevisiae Cytosolic Thioredoxins Control Glycolysis, Lipid Metabolism, and Protein Biosynthesis under Wine-Making Conditions

2019 ◽  
Vol 85 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecilia Picazo ◽  
Brian McDonagh ◽  
José Peinado ◽  
José A. Bárcena ◽  
Emilia Matallana ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Lipid Metabolism ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Oxidative Damage ◽  
Mutant Strain ◽  
Grape Juice ◽  
Wine Yeast ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Small Proteins

ABSTRACT Thioredoxins are small proteins that regulate the cellular redox state, prevent oxidative damage, and play an active role in cell repair. Oxidative stress has proven to be of much relevance in biotechnological processes when the metabolism of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is mainly respiratory. During wine yeast starter production, active dry yeast cytosolic thioredoxin Trx2p is a key player in protecting metabolic enzymes from being oxidized by carbonylation. Less is known about the role of redox control during grape juice fermentation. A mutant strain that lacked both cytosolic thioredoxins, Trx1p and Trx2p, was tested for grape juice fermentation. Its growth and sugar consumption were greatly impaired, which indicates the system’s relevance under fermentative conditions. A proteomic analysis indicated that deletion of the genes TRX1 and TRX2 caused a reduction in the ribosomal proteins and factors involved in translation elongation in addition to enzymes for glycolysis and amino acid biosynthesis. A metabolomic analysis of the trx1Δ trx2Δ mutant showed an increase in most proteogenic amino acids, phospholipids, and sphingolipids and higher fatty acid desaturase Ole1p content. Low glycolytic activity was behind the reduced growth and fermentative capacity of the thioredoxin deletion strain. All three hexokinases were downregulated in the mutant strain, but total hexokinase activity remained, probably due to posttranslational regulation. Pyruvate kinase Cdc19p presented an early level of aggregation in the trx1Δ trx2Δ mutant, which may contribute to a diminished hexose metabolism and trigger regulatory mechanisms that could influence the level of glycolytic enzymes. IMPORTANCE Oxidative stress is a common hazardous condition that cells have to face in their lifetime. Oxidative damage may diminish cell vitality and viability by reducing metabolism and eventually leading to aging and ultimate death. Wine yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae also faces oxidative attack during its biotechnological uses. One of the main yeast antioxidant systems involves two small proteins called thioredoxins. When these two proteins are removed, wine yeast shows diminished growth, protein synthesis, and sugar metabolism under wine-making conditions, and amino acid and lipid metabolism are also affected. Altogether, our results indicate that proper redox regulation is a key factor for metabolic adaptations during grape juice fermentation.

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